Machine for breaking, softening, and scutching fibrous stock



P. E. G. SWYN'G'HEDAUW. MACHINE FOR BREAKING, SOFTENING, AND SCUTCHING FIBROUS STOCK. APPLICATION FILED AUG-22, 191 9.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- INVENTOR Paw Eli. SWI/NGHEDHUN P. E. G. SWYNGHEDAUW. MACHINE FOR BREAKINGISOFTENING, AND SCUTCHING FIBROUS STOCK. APPLICATION FILED AUG.22. 1919.

1,341,603, Patented May 25, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Prim. E.G[.SWYNGHE1DHUW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIGE.

PAUL EUGENE GASTON SWYNGHEDAUW, 0F CHARENTON, FRANCE.

Application filed August 22, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PAUL EUGENE GAS- TON SWYNGHEDAUW, a citizen of the Republie of France, and a resident of 7 Rue Pasteur, Charenton, Department of Seine, France, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Breaking, S0ftening, and Scutching Fibrous Stock, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine intended to break, soften and scutch fibrous stock, more particularly flax and hemp, retted or not retted, and any other fibrous stock in stalks, as well as to soften the tow of hemp, ramie, etc.

The invention relates more particularly to a machine in which the textile material to be treated, advances in a layer between cylinders provided with blades, and having a movement of rotation about parallel axes, and a table having a surface parallel to the plane of rolling of the said blades and provided in its turn with several fixed blades with the same spacing as that between the blades of the rotary cylinders;'the fibrous stock is thus broken between the blades of the cylinders and the blades of the table.

An apron constituted by bars arranged parallel to the generatrices of the rotary cylinders and supported at their ends by endless chains, at a distance apart corresponding to the distance between the axes of the said rotary cylinders, has a continuous advance movement between the cylinders and the blades of the table behind the layer of fibrous stock, so that the said bars push in front of them the material and disengage it from the blades or teeth of the table, after it has been treated by the passage of one of the rotary cylinders, in order to be treated again by the passage of the next cylinder in front of the table.

The accompanying sheet of drawings shows, by way of example, a construction in which the cylinders with blades are mounted on a drum which has a rotary movement and brings about the movement of rotation of the said cylinders about their axes, as well as the drawing of the endless chains supporting the bars of the apron.

Figure 1 is a vertical axial section through the apparatus, Fig. 2 is a similar view showing diagrammatically the method of driving of the endless chains of the apron, Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation, Fig, 4 is a side Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25., 1920,.

Serial No. 319,220.

elevation showing a clutch or coupling device by means of which the direction of running of the cylinders distributing the fibrous stock can be reversed and thus the said material be withdrawn and disengaged after it has been treated on one of its faces.

The apparatus comprises aseries, of any desired number, of fluted or grooved cylinders a mounted on spindles a supported at their ends by disks 7; the latter are mounted on a spindle 6 supported by the frame 0. The spindles a of the cylinders a are all arranged at the same radial distance from the spindle b and at equal distance from each other. The teeth of the grooved cylinders a are constituted by blades-d extending throughout the Whole length of the said cylinders. Outside the end disks Z), and concentrically with the same, is arranged a toothed rim secured to the frame and meshing with toothed pinions a secured to the grooved cylinders a, the pitch circle of the toothed pinions a is tangent to the pitch circle of the toothed rim 12 The teeth of the grooved cylinders a have for their pitch circle that of the pinions a When a movement of rotation is imparted in any suitable manner to the spindle b which carries the disks 6 with the grooved cylinders a, the latter will be given a movement of advance and at the same time, owing to the engagement of the toothed pinions a secured to the spindles m with the rim 6 with inner teeth, secured to the frame, they will be given a movement of rotation about the spindles a Opposite the plane of rolling of the teeth .cZ of the grooved cylinders, and parallel to the said plane, is mounted a grooved table 6 comprising a series of blades 6 spaced to the same extent as the blades 65 which form the teeth of the grooved cylinders. These blades 0 are arranged parallel to the generatrices of the cylinders and radially relatively to the spindle b as center.

The table 0 is provided at its two ends with lugs f secured to each other; these lugs are not secured to the frame 0 of the machine, but simply supported by the latter; they are held in. place by rods 9 pivoted at to the lugs and guided at ill in guides h secured to the frame; the end of each rod rests on the arm 2' of the lever i 2' pivoted at this arm 2' is held by a spring 2,

Under the action of the said springs 2' the table 6 e strikes stops j which thus limit the position of the table relatively to the grooved cylinders a. This arrangement makes possible a movement back of the table in the event of a fibrous stock of excessive thickness being introduced, and thus avoids any breaking of the material and damage to the machine.

The fibrous stock to be treated (flax, hemp, ramie etc.) driven by an endless band or a table 70 and feed rollers 73 arranged in front of the table 70, arrive in a layer on the grooved table 6. Owing to the movement of rotation of the grooved cylinders a, combined with the movement of rotation of the disks Z) carrying the said cylinders a, the latter pass successively in front of the table 0 6 the blades cl of the cylinders a engaging with the blades 6 of the table. The material brought to the table is thus broken. In order to disengage the material gripped between the blades or teeth 0 of the table,

I use an endless apron, (Figs. 2 and 3) comprising two chains m (one at each side of the frame) connected together by bars at of wood or of metal, of U-shaped crosssection or simply rectangular; these bars which are parallel to the generatrices of the grooved cylinders a, are arranged. at a distance apart, equal to the length of the arc of circle comprised between the spindles a of two adj oining cylinders a. a

The chains m are supported by rollers m guided between the lower feed roller 70 and the upper part of the grooved table 6 by a guide 6 so that they rest against the disks Z), the rims of which are provided with teeth 12 of the pitch corresponding to that of the chain, so as to drive the latter at the same speed of advance as the cylinders a during the rotation of' the said disks about the spindle 7); the chains m leave the disks in order to pass over rollers mflthe position of which is adjustable, and rise toward the roller m A bar a of the apron arrives at the upper part of the table and engages between the disks 7) at equal distance from two cylinders a. It pushes in front of it the fibrous stock and in passing in front of the grooved table e e disengages all the material engaged between the blades or teeth (2 of the grooved table and, shakes it so as to bring it again under the action of the blades of the next rotary cylinder during its passage in front of the grooved table. To each bar of the apron corresponds a bar 0 of wood or metal, movable about a spindle 19 supported by the disks 6. The crushed material is thus scraped between the bars a and the bars 0, the distance apart of which is adjustable at will. This scraping brings about the removal of shive from the material.

The machine is provided with a double clutch enabling the direction of running of the feed rollers 76 to be reversed and consequently the fibrous stock treated between the grooved cylinders a cl and the grooved table 6 0 to be withdrawn and disengaged.

tively r and s secured to countershaft pulleys r and s mounted on a counter-shaft 72 these pulleys are driven respectively by an open belt and by a crossed belt 4* and s from one and the same spindle 76*, so as to have a movement of rotation of the same speed, but in opposite direction to each other. 1 j

A clutch sleeve 1'; operated by a bifurcated lever 25 is mounted by means of a long spline at t on the spindle 7: of the feed rollers Z0 so that it can be brought into engagement with one or the other of the claw sleeves r and 8, according to circumstances, the feed. roller will thus be given a movement of rotation resulting in the introduction of the fibrous stock between the blades (Z '6 or in a withdrawal of the said material from the said blades. This retrograde movement of the fibrous stock produces a very energetic action of the grooved cylinders a d and of the scraper bars 0, in cooperation with the blades of the table a, and has the advantage (more particularly in the case of flax) of maintaining the feet of the stalk or fibers at the same level and of giving what is known in the trade under the name of well scraped flax.

When the fibrous stock has been thoroughly treated on one of its faces, it is withdrawn from the machine by operating the clutch or disengaging lever f it is turned over and treated on the other face by introducing it again into the machine between the feed rollers if, 70 which are caused to rotate in the opposite direction by pushing the clutch lever t in the opposite direction.

What I claim is:

1. A machine for breaking, soitening and scutching fibrous stock, comprising cylinders rotatably mounted about parallel axes, me ns for rotating said cylinders, blades arranged along the generatrices of said cylinders, a table having a surface parallel to the plane of rolling of said blades, fixed blades on said table with the same spacing as that of the blades of the rotary cylinders, means for feeding the fibrous stock to be treated between the blades of the rotary cylinders and the blades of thetable, and means for disengaging the treated fibrous stock from the blades of the table as it advances.

2. A machine for breaking, softening and scutching fibrous stock, comprising cylinders rotatably mounted about parallel axes, means for rotating said cylinders, blades arranged along the generatrices of said cylinders, a table having a surface parallel to the plane of rolling of said blades, blades on said table, with the same spacing as that of the blades of the rotary cylinders, and means for feeding the fibrous stock to be treated between the blades of the rotary cylinders and the blades of the table, an apron comprising be arranged parallel to the generatricos of the rotary cylinders and supported at their ends by endless chains, at a distance apart corresponding to the distance between the axes of the said rotary cylinders, means for giving to the said apron a continuous advaiice movement between the cylinders and the blades of the table, so that the bars of the said apron push in front of them the material and disengagcs it from the blades of the table after it has been treated by one of the rotary cylinders, in order that it should be treated again during the passage of the next cylinder in front of the table.

3. A machine for breaking, softening and scutching fibrous stock, comprising a frame, a drum rotatably mounted about its axis on said frame, means for rotating said drum, cylinders rotatably mounted about parallel axes on said drum, means for rotatlng at the same speed said cylinders about their axes, simultaneously with the rotation of the said drum, blades arranged along the generatrices of said cylinders, a table having a surface parallel to the plane of rolling of said blades, fixed blades on said table, with the same spacing as that of the blades of the rotary cylinders, and means for feeding the fibrous stock to be treated between the blade of the rotary cylinders and the blades of the table, an apron comprising bars arranged parallel to the generatrices of the rotary cylinders and supported at their ends by endless chains, at a distance apart corresponding to the distance between the axes of the said rotary cylinders, means for giving to the said apron a continuous advance movement between the cylinders and the blades of the table, at the same linear speed as the drum carrying the rotary cylinders, for the purpose described, during the bodily rotation of the said drum and the planetary movement of the rotary cylinders on said drum. f. A machine for breaking, softening and scutching fibrous stock, comprising a frame, a drum rotatably mounted about its axis on said frame, means for rotating said drum, cylinders rotatably mounted about parallel axes on said drum, means for rotating at the same speed said cylinders about their axes, simultaneously with the rotation of the said drum, blades arranged along the generatices of said cylinders, a table having a surface parallel to the plane of rolling of said blades, fixed blades on said table, with the same spacing as that of the blad s of the rotary cylinders, and means for feeding the fibrous stock to be treated between the blades of the rotary cylinders and the blades of the table, and means for supporting and maintaining the table elastically in position, on the frame, opposite the rotary cylinders, so that the said table can move away from the said cylinders during the passage of fibrous stock of excessive thickness.

5. A machine for breaking, softening and scutching fibrous stock, comprising cylinders rotatably mounted about parallel axes, means for rotating said cylinders, blades arranged along the generatrices of said. cylinders, a table having a surface parallel to the plane of rolling of said blades, blades on said table, with the same spacing as that of the blades of the rotary cylinders, and means for feeding the fibrous stock to be treated between the blades of the rotary cylinders and the blades of the table, an apron comprising bars arranged parallel to the generatrices of the rotary cylinders and sup ported at their ends by endless chains, at a distance apart corresponding to the distance between the axes of the said rotary cylinders, means for giving to the said apron a continuous advance movement between the cylinders and the blades of the table, so that the bars of the said apron push in front of them the material and disengages it from the blades of the table after it has been treated by one of the rotary cylinders, in order that it should be treated again. during the passage of the next cylinder in front of the table, and means for supporting and maintaining the table elastically in position, on the frame, opposite the rotary cylinders, so that the said table can move away from the said cylinders during the passage of fibrous stock of excessive thickness.

6. A machine for breaking, softening and scutching fibrous stock, comprising a frame, a drum rotatably mounted about its axis on said frame, means for rotating said drum, cylinders rotatably mounted about parallel axes on said drum, means for rotating at the same speed said cylinders about their axes, simultaneously with the rotation of the said drum blades arranged along the generatrices of said cylinders, a table having a surface parallel to the plane of rolling of said blades, fixed blades on said table, with the same spacing as that of the blades of the rotary cylinders, and means for feeding the fibrous stock to be treated between the blades of the rotary cylinders and the blades of the table, an apron comprising bars arranged parallel to the generatrices of the rotary cylinders and supported at their ends by endless chains, at a distance apart corresponding to the distance between the axes of the said rotary cylinders, means for giving to the said apron a continuous advance movement between the cylinders and the blades of the table, atthe same linear speed as the drum carrying the rotary cylinders for the purpose described during the bodily rotation of the said drum and the planetary movement of the rotary cylinders on said drum, together With bars mounted on the drum carrying the rotary cylinders,

so as to scrape the fibrous stock during its 10 passage between the said bars and the corresponding bars of the apron.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

PAUL EUGENE GASTON SWYNGHEDAUW. Witnesses:

H. DEFnORIMON'r, CHAS. P. PRESSLY. 

